


Later, Hawke

by adelaide_rain



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Unrequited Love, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 14:25:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4141161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adelaide_rain/pseuds/adelaide_rain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hawke has been watching Fenris become less of a ghost.</p><p>Weekly card games with Donnic, more frequent ones with Varric. Making friends, making a life. He's happy for him, happy for all of their merry band of misfits and what they've made for themselves - even if it does tend to cause a lot of problems for poor Aveline. But if he watches Fenris a little more closely than the others– well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Later, Hawke

Hawke has been watching Fenris become less of a ghost.

Weekly card games with Donnic, more frequent ones with Varric. Making friends, making a life. He's happy for him, happy for all of their merry band of misfits and what they've made for themselves - even if it does tend to cause a lot of problems for poor Aveline. But if he watches Fenris a little more closely than the others– well.

Right now, Hawke walks into the Hanged Man to meet Varric, and finds Fenris enjoying drinks with Isabela and some of her less salubrious friends. He's laughing at something she's said, his whole face lit up by delight.

Hawke smiles, his heart touched by both happiness and sadness. Happy for Fenris – he deserves laughter, more than anyone Hawke has ever met. Sad for himself, that he'll never be part of Fenris's life in the way he'd like. That's more than a little love-sick-puppy of him, but it's happened so often that he's at the point where he doesn't even roll his eyes at himself anymore. It was Fenris's decision, and Hawke is happy to accept it; glad that they can still be friends, and good ones.

Walking over to greet them, he's intercepted by one of Isabela's friends, who staggers into him and proclaims their delight at meeting the Champion of Kirkwall - despite having met him at least half a dozen times - and offers to buy him a drink. Hawke was poor for too long to say no when free ale is offered, and accepts.

"Sit, Hawke," Isabela says, wiggling her fingers at him, and shifts so that there's a tiny space on the bench between herself and Fenris.

"I don't want to intrude," Hawke says, and she rolls her eyes at him, grabbing his wrist and attempting to pull him into the seat. Choosing to sit before her attempts end with him sprawled on the sticky floor, he squeezes in, close enough to both of them that they're touching hip to knee, waist to shoulder.

 _Oh Maker,_ Hawke thinks, closer to Fenris than he's been in years, and takes a gulp of of the beer – weak, warm, welcome – that's pressed into his hands.

"I know you're meeting Varric but he can spare you for a few moments,” Isabela says. “Affa is buying you a drink, the least you can do is sit and regale us with your latest adventure."

"But Varric tells them so much better than I do," Hawke says, managing a charming smile, but near all of his concentration is focused on how warm Fenris is, how hard the thigh pressed against his own. Isabela laughs, either ignorant of his plight or - more likely - enjoying his discomfort.

"Very true! Jon, go get Varric. Tell him there's an ale in it for him if he tells us a new tale of the Champion of Kirkwall."

"Wasn't your last adventure saving the maid in love with Feynriel?" Fenris asks, and hearing him say the word _love_ does strange things to Hawke. Once more he has to battle against the urge to roll his eyes at himself. He wins, but it's a close run thing.

"Yes. Not that interesting, to be honest."

"Not in comparison to your usual misadventures, perhaps," Fenris chuckles and Hawke smiles, like he always does whenever Fenris laughs, immediate and instinctive.

Varric, as always, comes to his audience gladly, lapping up their cheers and accepting a pint for the tale.

"The story isn't really about Hawke," Varric starts, and the group boos. It's far bigger now than just Isabela's friends; almost everyone in the pub has gathered around to hear a story of the Champion. Some of them are even looking starry-eyed at the Champion himself, and Hawke wonders how exactly this came to be his life. Varric holds his hands up. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. But trust me, you don't want to hear yet another story about him clobbering random raiders. This is much more interesting. It's a tale of love-"

More booing, louder this time, and Isabela says, "There had better be some dirty scenes, Varric. _Really_ dirty."

Varric grins, and shakes his head. "Afraid not. But listen - I think you'll like it anyway."

And so he tells the story of Feynriel and Orlanna, or a version of it.

They met in person only once, so Varric says, not long before Feynriel departed Kirkwall. They shared a kiss before he left. One single kiss, but that made both of them cherish it even more. Theirs was a love so deep that it didn't need physical contact to make it strong. It was a meeting of hearts, of souls; a love that grew stronger over the years, even though the lovers never even touched again.

Hawke tries not to look at Fenris. He tries. But the more Varric talks, the more it resonates with him. He and Fenris had one night together, nothing more, but over the years his feelings have only grown. Even if he can never have any more than this, sitting by Fenris's side, it makes no difference: he loves him. However bloody stupid that might be. Even if Fenris wants nothing more than friendship. No matter how much it hurts to think about never holding him again.

Hawke's jarred from his thoughts by a touch. Something against his hand. He glances down - then stares, and wonders if his pint has been spiked by dwarven ale, because Fenris's hand has moved to lie alongside his on the table. Just as Hawke has convinced himself that it means nothing, that it's only because they're crammed close together by the crowd, Fenris's little finger wraps around Hawke's. Hawke stares at it, his heartbeat thudding in his ears, drowning out Varric's words.

Slowly, afraid that any sudden movements might scare Fenris off, Hawke curls his finger around Fenris's. Fenris doesn't move away, and he doesn't make any further gestures, but it's enough. More than enough.

The story comes to an end and the audience breaks into applause. It seems Varric was right - they did like it. But Fenris and Hawke stay where they are, their little fingers entwined, not looking at each other; staying very still as the crowd swirls around them.

The moment ends when someone at the end of their bench tries to stand and falls over, making the bench jerk and shifting their hands. Isabela laughs and stands, striding over to help her drunken friend to his feet, and Hawke risks a glance up at Fenris. He's smiling - just a little, the very corners of his lips curved upwards, and his gaze is warm and soft.

"Hawke-"

"Hey, Hawke, you ready to come up to my suite?" Varric calls, and Hawke has to put real effort into not directing a death glare at him. "Let's get away from this rabble."

"Rabble? Charming!" Isabela says as she sits her friend back on the bench. "What a way to treat a lady."

"I know how to treat a lady; just ask Bianca." 

"I don't even want to know," Fenris says, with a raised eyebrow.

"I do," Isabela says, but Varric shakes his head.

"A story for another time. Hawke owes me ten silver and if I play my cards right he'll owe me a sovereign by the end of the night."

"Fine, but I'll hold you to that story," Isabela says, and finishes Hawke's drink for him.

He looks at Fenris, who gives him another of those small smiles. "Later, Hawke," he says, very softly, and Hawke nods, hope kindling in his chest.

"Later, Fenris," he says as he stands and walks over to Varric. After all, he's waited three years. He can wait a little longer.

**Author's Note:**

> I had no intention of falling into another fandom but then Hawke and Fenris happened.
> 
> This is a sort-of companion piece to [Reading Time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4187448), which is a Fenris POV of their estrangement


End file.
